How to Plan an Iceland Road Trip | Documentary and Itinerary | Our Proposal

[Music] this is Iceland it has something for everyone from breathtaking views cozy Hot Springs Wildlife mountains glaciers and waterfalls I spent the year planning the perfect trip to Iceland and went in September 2022 I spent 11 days in Iceland and it was a trip of a lifetime you know it wasn't perfect but that's what creates great memories [Music] during our trip we drove all around the island in our camper van along the famous Ring Road making additional stops in the highlands and Animal Spirits as well in this video I wanted to share the best trip we've ever been on showcasing popular locations hidden gems and giving you some inspiration as well so here was my 11 days in Iceland foreign [Music] the best way to see Iceland is my personal car the most important tip I could give to you is to book your rental as soon as you can I booked my 4x4 camper van 10 months in advance and was actually quite Limited in choices and had to go through several companies regardless you have options of a car or camper van and two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive options things to think about when choosing your car would be your budget desired Comfort availability of rentals your choice of accommodation and desired locations to go to conventional cars will be the cheapest option and better on gas but a campervan saves on accommodation but is less comfy between two wheel drive and four-wheel drive cars it's important to think about where your destinations will be there are specific roads in Iceland called f roads which are generally gravel and rock roads that require an all-wheel drive vehicle by law if you are planning to stick to the Ring Road and other major roads then a two-wheel drive car should be fine but we found the best places only accessible by F roads in addition there are several roads in Iceland that are not considered off-roads that were quite rough and with changing weather conditions it would give you peace of mind to have an all-wheel drive vehicle to avoid being stuck or worse on our trip we went with a four-wheel drive camper van as we wanted to explore the islands and West routes lastly if you do plan to do an extensive Highland adventure and if budget and availability permits I would recommend renting a vehicle designed for River Crossings more on this later overall we spent a whopping 4 700 Canadian on our rental for accommodation you have options of camping at sites in your tenter vehicle airbnbs and guest houses we generally stayed at campsites in our camper van but spent two nights in airbnbs as well cause of campsites can range from 1 000 to 4000 isk per person and the majority of them took hard but there was one site in the west fjords that only took cash generally when you arrive you'll pay at the main office but occasionally the owners will come by in the early evening to collect payment in terms of facilities I would say the majority of the campsites had showers and were really clean and well maintained lastly I would say most of the campsites had laundry services but for an additional fee finally always check travel resources to ensure your planned route is safe and open as weather and Iceland can change really quickly I listed some popular and useful resources below [Music] after landing in keflavik our first official stop is the capital city of Reykjavik we decided to park our van in a lot and explore the City by foot as the main places aren't too far apart so walking is definitely possible however there are some e-scooters to rent as well [Music] I'd plan a few key things to check out on the city so we ended up walking in a big circle taking stops at the famous Church the phallic Museum and checking out the Sun Voyager sculpture in opera house as well we also had to make some pit stops and souvenir stores the hand knitting Association store and of course Iceland's famous hot dogs aside from the street hot dogs we enjoyed dinner at apotec tried sea Baron's famous lobster bisque soup and had many bakeries as well with Broad and Co being our favorite after a long day we got back into our camper van and drove about 40 minutes out of the city to get an early start for day two on day two we woke up super early to take the 3K one-way hike into the thermal River I'll list the name below this is a natural Hot Spring River with beautiful views along the way the hot spring is often super popular so we decide to start our hike around 6 a.m and had the whole river to ourselves [Music] however when we left around 7 30 a.m We saw loads of people hiking in so if you want to avoid the crowds I'd recommend coming in early the hike itself had many steep hills to start but levels out later on with rewarding views of waterfalls Cliff sides and rivers overall this was in our top five places to see so this is the must go next we stopped for lunch at freetimer this was for sure our favorite place to eat in Iceland the bread and tomato soup was ridiculously good and was all you need the restaurant itself is famous for their delicious tomatoes grown in-house as the restaurant doubles as a greenhouse as well if you love some good food then you definitely have to try this place just make sure you book far in advance our next stop for the day was the famous golf loss overall this was something I would honestly probably skip next time as the other waterfalls in Iceland were just as nice with far less people [Music] our final stop for the day was the geyser overall nothing too yeah I don't know what she's doing there overall a nice little stop but nothing too crazy after a quick moment we finished off and headed to our campsite for the night to get an early start for the next day on day three we got a quick bite and started a long drive into the highlands to kedling we had got to the initial transition from smooth cement roads into rough gravel and already the views were amazing and kept on getting better [Music] about halfway to killing Affair there's a large glacial lake called vitavartan foreign [Music] to get here follow the f Road and take a left into the side road drive along this road until you reach a large triangular house for spectacular views the most still Lake I've ever seen the water itself flows from the nearby Glacier that can be seen from a distance and Iceland is known for the clean water so you know how to take a sip [Music] traveling back on the main road we continue towards our destination you approach this area the roads definitely get much more rough with roads mainly composed of rocks large and small UPS will likely take you to the campsite area which was under construction in 2022 so continue up the large Hill to get to the start of the hike one of my favorite little gems from this trip was this Horseshoe Bend only visible during the section of the drive located on the right side when driving towards kidlington [Music] finally after a long drive we made it to kidling affair this was probably our favorite place in Iceland as the hike had everything from small snow fields mountain tops and the smell of rotten eggs footage really doesn't do this place justice as it was absolutely breathtaking itself was about a five kilometer round trip I would recommend taking the right side of the loop as it begins very Steep and is quite challenging but is mainly flat and downhill the rest of the way after a rewarding hike we got back into the van and made a straight drive back to our original campsite [Music] another early day in Iceland and we set out for haifas is Iceland's fourth highest waterfall and the views were spectacular [Music] to get here you will need to go through nephrode however it was fairly smooth and not too Rocky we continued back into the highlands making a stop at this beautiful Canyon this was a place I was really excited for as the canyon looks like it's from another planet [Music] on the way into La manilaga we took a pit stop at one of Iceland's Creator lakes formed in 871 blauhilia foreign [Music] how amazing it was just driving through the islands seeing countless mountains and endless Road it was a treat in itself our last stop and home for the night was lemon elaga this is one of the most popular destinations in a waypoint for multi-day hikes through the Highlands there's a good variety of hikes in this area so choose according to your level of fitness and time if you're unsure the information desk at the main site is super helpful I opted for something with a high View and wasn't disappointed [Music] overall half a day here truly isn't enough and I would need to come back here again to really take it all in [Music] foreign early in the morning and made our way to our first stop of the day at cylinder Foss this was a major attraction with loads of people and there was a parking fee however for this waterfall definitely get your waterproof gear on as you'll get soaked even with the crowds the waterfall was amazing and the chance to walk under and behind it was spectacular a bonus gem here is also a waterfall tucked inside a cave to the right so make sure you don't miss this one as well after drying off we made our way to our next stop which was possibly Iceland's most famous waterfall skogafoss again there were large crowds but the closer you get to the falls the less people although be prepared to get soaked our last stop for the day was dear holy this is a Natural Stone Arch on the shores of Iceland Stone arches were beautiful but I would argue the back side of the hilltop I had some stunning views of the beach and distant mountains as well and with that it put an end to day five [Music] our first stop for the day is this really hard to pronounce place or famously known as The Yoda cave you are able to drive along a dirt path to pull up right next to the cave however the scenic hike up and around feature some beautiful scenery with endless Fields sheep arctic foxes and of course a famous Viking burial the hike itself honestly wasn't too strenuous and was also one of my favorites [Music] moving further along the Southeast coast we made our way to this picturesque Canyon the canyon drops down 100 meters and features a beautiful river flowing through it you're definitely able to hike up and along the walls of the canyon but we opted to take some videos and photos just near the front [Music] our last stop for the day was Diamond Beach and the glacier Lagoon Diamond Beach is a beautiful black sand beach famous for having chunks of icebergs decorating its Shores unfortunately the day we went we didn't have too many large chunks I was happy to see a couple across the street is the glacier Lagoon the parking lot here is busy so it actually park at Diamond Beach and just walk across it was actually pretty fun just watching the icebergs float around and catching the occasional glimpse of seals flowing in and out of the water there's also some cool opportunities to kayak in the lagoon and if I had more time I definitely would have tried this out and with that we wrapped up our day and settled in for the night overnight we camped at the Viking Cafe near westerhorn hoping to catch beautiful views of the shore and mountains in the morning when we got up we were greeted with thick coverage of fog regardless I tried to take a peek and had no luck disappointed but not defeated we packed up our things and drove onwards throughout the mountains to our next stop driving on the east coast and moving up north I took a rut through a mountainous area that was pretty paved but due to the thick fog I had to drive pretty carefully here making it out of the fog and into sunny weather we arrived at our first stop of the day hanging Foss this was something I really want to see as the red walls surrounding the waterfall made for some stunning views [Music] the hike up to the waterfall was all uphill it was actually pretty tiring however the sights at the top are all worth it walking back down you can either go the way you came up or take an alternate path on the right side which I found to be a little bit more Scenic and at the bottom you're treated to a nice little food truck with delicious goat milk ice cream and some lamb soup as well after taking a couple hikes over the past few days we created ourselves to Vox Bass after trying secret Lagoon and Sky Lagoon as well I would honestly say that Vox baths was the best experience among all of them the facility was super modern and featured three Infinity tubs with varying temperatures nested along the natural lake I often jumped into the freezing leg and hopped back into the toasty tub in addition there is a larger pool with rocks and places to Lounge as well if you can make it out in the east it was definitely a must try feeling refreshed we made our way back to our campsite putting an end to day seven our first and special stop for the day was study Gill Canyon following with GPS route you'll likely take you to a parking lot just before or after the bridge if you have a 4x4 vehicle you can continue to park at a closer lot cutting the hike down by about half the distance hike itself was actually quite level and was really easy I wanted to get to the spot super early and be the only ones there as I plan to have a special moment with my now fiance [Music] thank you I was hoping the water would be a bit more blue or Emerald color but honestly the canyon was still amazing and her memory will never forget continuing our way around the island we headed Northwest to detephos getting closer there was a road about 30 kilometers in length and this still haunts me to this day Road itself is actually quite flat and Rocky with some gravel but it was so bumpy and Rocky that you would just vibrate in the car the whole time through the conditions I ended up driving about 20 to 30 kilometers per an hour with most cars doing the same if you have a more equipped car you'll likely speed through this but in our camper van it was a rough time literally after being mentally tested we finally made it to tetaphaz which is Europe's most powerful waterfall and also featured in the opening scene of Prometheus there are two general viewpoints of the falls depending on the road you take in each offering amazing views [Music] we had originally planned to see craftla another Crater Lake in their fell a large crater nearby but due to time we decided to continue our drive across the northern part of the island one quick stop I did plan was to take a quick shower at the shower head located in the middle of nowhere it is fully functioning and when we arrived it was empty so I stripped down for a refreshing shower it is located off the main road where a few cars do pass by so use at your own risk quick but unexpected stop we took was at the Blue Lake I'm not too sure if the watercolor is natural but regardless due to safety concerns you aren't allowed to go in the water but it still offers some unique and amazing views another spot we had planned to see was vitsiker however to get to a campsite before dark we had to skip this one although we had missed a few things today driving around the northern part of the island was really fun had some amazing views with changing landscapes plus we caught a beautiful sunset to end the day we enter the westfields drives in this section of Iceland take a long time to cover shorter distances as you often have to drive around each Fjord to reach your destination however there are a few routes that actually go over the mountain offering some unique views although the roads were quite rough and a 4x4 vehicle is definitely required our first stop of the day was a unique one the Museum of Icelandic sorcery and witchcraft we were skeptical at first as the museum way out in the westfields seemed iffy but I would say overall enjoyed looking at some creepy artifacts and displays while learning about some witchcraft history stop was at a local Hot Spring located just off the side of the road [Music] overall it did have some great views but was full of moss so if you're a little grossed out by that I would probably skip this one [Music] overall this day we didn't plan too much as the stops took a lot of driving in between however I would say just driving around the mountains and along the coast making random stops at beautiful Lookouts was a highlight of this area foreign unexpected gem was this beautiful Pier that I quickly Google searched during the drive the pier itself sits above beautiful blue water overlooking the mountains making it an amazing sight to behold and since it's right off the main road it makes for a great pit stop and ending to another amazing day in Iceland [Music] thank you rounding out our time in the westfields we started out by seeing the Jewel of the westfields din Yandy a huge waterfall nested on top of a hill you begin your hike at the parking lot located at the bottom of the falls and already you can spot dinani in the distance along the way you're greeted with some smaller waterfalls and viewpoints and after a quick hike up you get to be up close and personal analytically traveling further Southwest we reach later back a beautiful Cliffside famous for five and watching however when we went to September they had already left but the views of the ocean and Cliffside were still amazing before reaching our next destination we are treated to what the internet called Iceland's most dangerous road honestly the road itself I wouldn't say was terrifying but weaving around 180 degree turns down the Mountainside with no barriers definitely kept you focused if you aren't afraid of heights this was actually a fun drive just be cautious after descending the mountain we arrive at our next stop or Iceland's red sand beach upon arriving park near the church and follow the trailhead through the grass to get to the beach depending on the time of the day and the weather the water levels May alter your path I would probably recommend trying to walk out as far as you can as the views of the Endless sand felt like you're in another world thank you [Music] after some amazing views we hopped back in the van and made our way out of the westwards and towards our campsite for the night on day 11 we grabbed the bite and made a quick drive down the West Coast back into Reykjavik [Music] we really want to spend an extra day in the capital to do some sightseeing and shopping so we opted to skip Iceland's west side however we did miss out on the famous mountain kirkyfell and a hike to glimmer waterfall surprisingly to get down to Reykjavik from the entrance of the westwards was a speedy two-hour Drive in total after finishing up some last minute sightseeing and shopping in the Capitol we rounded our trip with a much-needed dip at the sky Lagoon the sky Lagoon is a beautiful hot spring located near the Capitol and serves as a great alternative to the Blue Lagoon I decided to go with the sky Lagoon as the facility seemed nicer less crowded and more relaxing overall with views over the harbor a cool pool walkout and a seven step relaxing ritual and some cold plunge as well as mentioned before I still think Vox bass on the East Coast was the best but if you're in the capital I would check this place out and with that we put an end to a trip of a lifetime that will truly be Unforgettable a year later I still talk about this and I hope you enjoyed this video as much as I enjoyed making it definitely missed a few things in Iceland but I'm already planning my return if you have any questions please leave a comment and I would be more than happy to share my experiences with you [Music] however if you wanted something a little bit more personal I would love to share my more specific tips and maybe bring in my fiance to give you her perspective on each day and location as well in a different video lastly if you enjoyed this video please help me out by liking and subscribing as I'll definitely put out more videos in the future I'll see you on the next trip thanks for watching 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Channel: Adventure Rice

Views: 28,104

Keywords: iceland, icelandtravel, icelandtravelguide, travel guide, iceland travel, iceland travel guide, iceland documentary, documentary, cinematic, 4k, iceland 4k, iceland cinematic, drone iceland, iceland road trip, west fjord, iceland hihglands, highlands, camper van, iceland ring road, ring road trip, travel life

Id: sLiB3mPUx1Q

Length: 28min 23sec (1703 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 14 2023